


The Best for Last

by ensembleklavier (orphan_account)



Category: Dangan Ronpa, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-16
Updated: 2016-08-16
Packaged: 2018-08-09 03:43:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7785433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/ensembleklavier
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The thing that really, really irked you when it came to Komaeda was the fact that he would dismiss himself...so casually. If he said self-deprecating things for the sake of attention, you could could call him out on it, or simply ignore him. That wasn’t the case...you knew he didn’t sprinkle this harshness into everyday conversation because he had some sort of hidden agenda. He did it because he believed it, every word of it. And that was so, so hard to listen to, especially when everyone else around you saw him as some sort of dangerous loose cannon, someone to be ignored until he did something that forced their attention. He was more than that, so much more than that. You wanted Komaeda to see in himself what you saw in him.</p><p>(Reader takes Komaeda on a date to the library during Island Mode.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Best for Last

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BaristaKitty](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BaristaKitty/gifts).



> Despair arc is really doing a number on me, so I'm writing fluffy fics to compensate. Komaeda really does enjoy the library...he feels safe there!
> 
> I want everyone to know that Yamimori is destined to be with Ko forever, and that's why they get this fic. I don't make the rules.

You sat in a library chair, swinging your legs back and forth. You were waiting on your classmate (and friend) Komaeda Nagito, who had promised to meet you here: he was the last person you needed to retrieve a hope fragment from. You’d saved him for last intentionally, a bit of a personal bribe to make sure you got everyone else’s fragment first. 

Despite your excitement, you were more than a little nervous. A lot of this anxiety stemmed from the fact that it was hard to know what Komaeda would like to do--he rarely talked about what he prefered and was generally much more focused on what others wanted. You didn’t want him to have to PRETEND to like the location you chose (because that’s exactly what he would do to avoid hurting your feelings...or was it that he truly didn’t believe his opinion counted?), you wanted to genuinely make him happy. 

All you really knew about Komaeda’s likes and dislikes was printed in the student ID handbook: he liked pretty things and quiet places. As general as that was, you felt the library would be your best bet: hardly anyone else was ever there, and there were plenty of architectural details that you found pretty. You’d brought your favorite chocolate orange cookies from the Rocketpunch supermarket, along with some chilled coffee in two thermoses. You hoped Komaeda liked coffee...

You also hoped simply coming to the library to read wouldn’t bore him...most everyone else you’d taken to the library had found it uneventful by the time you left. With the exception of Sonia, who found some serial killer encyclopedias to read, and Hinata, who had suggested you burn all the books for reasons unknown. He was probably panicking (why?) and just said the first thing that came into his head...he didn’t seem to be the type of person who’d want to have a bonfire in a library. You obviously said no and told Hinata that he should think things through a little more, but you heard he had come back here with Ibuki and actually had burned several books’ worth of paper. Hinata was a good guy, but you...worried about him sometimes.

You stood up, stretched your arms towards the mosaic ceiling. Komaeda was a bit late…had something sidetracked him? Were you being too eager by getting here fifteen minutes early? Maybe you should make it look like you’d been doing something other than waiting…

Looking at the book shelves, you could see all sorts of titles...if Komaeda liked pretty things, he’d probably like poetry, right? And if the two of you were going to be reading, you should get something for yourself, too. 

You walked over to the smallest shelf in the corner, where Sonia had stored her growing serial killer encyclopedia collection, and started looking at the books’ cover spines. You grabbed the first few poetry books that you saw (one about flowers, Komaeda might enjoy that), one of Sonia’s encyclopedias (at the very least it would be an interesting read), and a couple of Greek mythology volumes that Hinata hadn’t burned yet. That should be enough, right? 

You walked back over to your table and were in the middle of unloading your armful of books when you heard a creaking noise. You looked up to see Komaeda entering the library, bandages wrapped tightly around his forearm.

“Komaeda-kun, are you okay?!” you called out to him.

“Ah...I’m fine! Just ran into a bit of an...incident on the way over here, but I’m okay now! Mikan found me and fixed me right up,” he said cheerfully. “Did you already pick out books for us? I’ll be honored to read whatever you brought me...even if it’s aviator handbooks or naughty magazines!” 

“Uh...first things first, what happened on the way over here?”  _ Naughty magazines, huh…Komaeda would read naughty magazines if I told him to...no, focus, focus…. _

“Ah, well...nothing too out of the ordinary! I was walking to come meet you when I stumbled upon Pekoyama-san...she was out by the beach training with her sword, as the Ultimate Swordswoman ought to be doing! It was quite a sight...but…” He sighed. 

“My luck would have it that as soon as the trajectory was right, Ibuki-chan came outside from the beach house and slammed the door too loud, startling Pekoyama-san! She was in the midst of swinging her sword to hit a training dummy, it flew out of her hand, went several feet backwards, and bounced directly off my unsuspecting shoulder. It was...truly bad luck that I would interrupt Pekoyama-san like that…” Komaeda looked down at his feet, appearing ashamed.

“Komaeda-kun...did that really happen to you?! Aren’t you seriously hurt?” _Any normal person would be..._  
“Ah, don’t worry about me! I’m fine...in truth, I’ve learned to withstand a great deal of pain throughout my life! I’m a bit more tenacious than I look.”

Komaeda reached a hand into the pocket of his jacket. “Everything worked out in the end, because on the way over here, I found these!” He withdrew his hand, grabbed your wrist, and pressed his into yours. When he took his hand away, all you could see was green--you had a fistful of four leaf clovers, some even with more leaves than that. 

“You...found all of these?” you asked. 

“I sure did! Right outside the library. We could use them for bookmarks, or press them into pages and save them! Or we could even toss them on the ground, stomp on them, shove them under the table and never touch them again! It’s completely up to you.” Komaeda smiled. “They’re yours, after all!”

“You really brought these for me?”

He tilted his head, confused. “Of course I did! I didn’t want to come here empty handed...I’d feel like I was insulting you, and I don’t want you to hate me just yet...I want to put off the inevitable as long as possible!” He smiled again, softly, calmly, his facial expression not at all congruent with his ominous words. 

“I-I don’t think I’m going to hate you, Komaeda-kun. I’m actually really happy to be here with you! Um...do you want some coffee? I brought some!” You offered him a thermos in an effort to change the subject--you wanted to get Komaeda’s mind on happier things. 

He reached out and took it, staring at it in wonder. “Ah...you really brought one for me? What amazing luck...coffee is great, isn’t it?” He opened the top of the thermos. “Wow...this is just the way I like it, too…”

Komaeda pulled out both of the chairs in front of the table where you’d stacked the books, looked down at the table. “W-Wow...these aren’t even dirty magazines...amazing,” he said as his eyes went wide with shock. Not even condesending shock...he was truly surprised that you’d taken the time to pick out something he might enjoy. 

That thought prodded at your heart as you sat down next to him, took a sip of your coffee and opened your encyclopedia. 

 

\-----------------------

The two of you had been reading silently for about half an hour--Komaeda occasionally stopping to point out a particular passage that he liked in his poetry books, and to remind you how happy he was that you’d brought them out for him. 

Although he seemed to be reading happily, you were having trouble concentrating. You kept smelling the soft scent of lavender, particularly when Komaeda opened or shut a book and a puff of air wafted over his white, tangled hair.  _ Does he use lavender shampoo or something? Is Komaeda a secret florist?  _

Thoughts like these distracted you, kept you reading the same paragraph over and over. You wanted to talk to him, get to know him a bit better, but you didn’t know what to say or how to say it. You watched as Komaeda finished another book, closed it, and placed it the growing stack beside the table. He was a quick reader. 

You were about to attempt to turn your attention back to your book when Komaeda cleared his throat. “Ah...can I ask you a question?” he said. 

You turned towards him. “Uh, yes! Of course!” 

“Are you...bothered by how quiet it is in here?” He was playing with the cuff on his jacket sleeve as he spoke. He looked strangely uneasy.  _ I-I thought he liked quiet places… _

“I’m...not bothered by it, no…but if you’d rather go somewhere else, Komaeda-kun, that would be fine! Just tell me where you’d like to go!”  _ I knew he’d find it boring… _

“Ah! No, no, I don’t want to leave, I think I must have misspoke. The library is actually one of my favorite places...it’s one of the only places where I can do something I enjoy and not be afraid of my luck affecting me or anyone else. There’s not that much that can go wrong in a library!” He laughed, but it sounded a bit hollow, shaky. “No, we’ll both be safe here, I think…” 

You tilted your head, confused. “Then...were you just observing that it’s quiet, or is something wrong?” 

Komaeda shrugged. He was still wrapping his fingers around the sleeve of his jacket. “I suppose...I’m just...a little nervous.”

“Nervous? About what?” 

“I...do enjoy silence, normally, but...being here with you...to be honest...I’m...a bit afraid of it. And if I try to come up with something to say to entertain you, I’ll just end up saying something weird...” 

He smiled softly. “Being all alone with you makes me nervous...makes me feel like I’m receiving a present I ought to return, because I...don’t deserve that level of generosity. There’s someone else you’d rather be here with, right? Other than me? There’s an entire island full of fascinating people, you don’t have to...suffer through earning my hope fragments. Surely Monomi would understand, considering how disgusting I am…” 

The thing that really, really irked you when it came to Komaeda was the fact that he would dismiss himself...so casually. If he said self-deprecating things for the sake of attention, you could could call him out on it, or simply ignore him. That wasn’t the case...you knew he didn’t sprinkle this harshness into everyday conversation because he had some sort of hidden agenda. He did it because he believed it, every word of it. And that was so, so hard to listen to, especially when everyone else around you saw him as some sort of dangerous loose cannon, someone to be ignored until he did something that forced their attention. He was more than that, so much more than that. You wanted Komaeda to see in himself what you saw in him. 

“Komaeda-kun...I’ve already gotten everyone else’s hope fragments.”

“Oh? Have you?”

“Yes...I wanted to save the best for last.” 

As soon as that sentence came out of your mouth, you knew how undeniably sappy it sounded.  _ Am I...going too far…? _

Komaeda blinked. “Huh?”

_ Oh. Not far enough.  _

“Komaeda-kun. I personally...feel like I can enjoy the silence with you, you know? You don’t have to entertain me, or do much of anything, really...I just enjoy being here with you, and I’m…” 

You looked down, knew you were blushing. “I’m really happy you like the library.” 

There were a few moments of silence, and then...

“Um...if I’m being honest, I have no idea what to say to that!” Komaeda exclaimed. 

_ What...does that mean? Is he happy? Is he mad? Is he indifferent?  _

“Since I have no idea what to say, I’ll just say the first thing I can think of!” 

He tapped his fingers on his chin, looking skyward. “Huh...my head is strangely empty right now...let me think…”

He turned his gaze to you, blatantly staring, looking you up and down. If it would’ve been anyone but him, this sort of once-over would’ve made you uncomfortable, but with Komaeda...it felt...more innocent. Awkward, but you didn’t feel like your personal space had been invaded. 

After a few seconds of Komaeda staring at your body, apparently in deep thought, he spoke. “Ah...I think I have something to say!”

“Yes?”

“I’ve decided...that if I was your mother, I’d tell you how pretty your hair looks every day before you left the house!” 

_ Oh my god, Komaeda... _

“And...if I was your brother...and I had to stare at you from across the dinner table every night, I’d probably develop a sister complex!” 

_ W-What are you saying…? _

“However, I’m neither of those things, so I don’t think you have to worry about me thinking such disgusting thoughts!” 

He nodded to himself in finality, like he’d managed to say precisely what he wanted to in a way that was accessible to all parties.

_ REALLY?  _

You were the one staring at him now, trying to comprehend the motivation behind what had just come out of Komaeda’s mouth, as he simply smiled one of his far too innocent, enigmatic, beaming smiles. 

Everyone was frustrated by those smiles, and you were no exception--it was simply a different type of frustration. Rather than making you want to push him away, your exasperation made you want to pull him closer, to understand why he behaved the way he did. He fascinated you.

The thing was, Komaeda WAS willing to explain himself to others--they just weren’t willing to take the time to decipher his explanations. He was definitely trying to say something here, trying to say it without saying it, and despite his...interesting way of putting it, he was trying to give you a compliment. That much you understood, and perhaps...understanding that much was enough. 

“Thank you, Komaeda.” 

He blinked. “I don’t think you have to thank someone as lowly as me, but...if I’ve managed to give you some degree of hope, then I’m...happy.” 

You noticed he’d stopped picking at his jacket, that his fingers were clasped in front of him. He looked...almost relaxed.

“Ah...do you want to go back to reading now?” he asked.

“Yeah...are you still uncomfortable?”

“Mmm...no. I’m actually really excited to start this next book! I really like poems about nature...do you mind if I show you some of my favorites? I think you’d like them, too.” 

You laughed. “No, Komaeda, I don’t mind if you show me some of your favorites.”

“Excellent!” He opened the book in front of him quickly, another puff of lavender hitting your face. 

You scooted your chair closer to his, leaned over his shoulder, and smiled to yourself.

You knew he’d like the library.

  
  
  
  
  


  
  


**Author's Note:**

> I am on tumblr as bullet-refutation! I talk about dr a lot so come say hi!


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